


Capriccio

by BeeAnka



Series: Sing Me A Song Of Despair [7]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: F/F, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 19:59:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12824982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeAnka/pseuds/BeeAnka
Summary: Mukuro spends some time with her friends.





	Capriccio

**Author's Note:**

> Although not in her usual style, my girlfriend made some great art of the previous chapter again: https://inacron.tumblr.com/post/167879709981
> 
> Sorry, it's not 12,000 words again!

* * *

 

Monday doesn't come soon enough.

A strange thought for a seventeen year old who has to attend school, Mukuro supposes, but it's true. Sunday almost passes in a flash in spite of nothing at all happening on the day, oddly enough. Usually it feels like the longest day of the week to her.

When it's finally Monday, the classes all pass quickly too. It's like the time is moving forward at a high speed just for her own benefit for once.

And when it's finally lunch break, she can barely contain her excitement. It's pathetic, but spending an entire day without seeing Sayaka was... hard. Somehow. They still texted each other though.

She is glad it's nice outside when they sit down on the roof, and also that two benches that directly oppose each other are free. Three people on one bench is hard already, but four might be impossible.

Sayaka is sitting to Asahina's right while Mukuro is sitting to Naegi's left. On one hand, she would rather sit next to Sayaka. On the other hand, then she wouldn't get to look directly at her.

While they all take out their lunch, Mukuro wonders if Asahina is going to say something regarding their last not so friendly conversation. And sure enough, she doesn't have to wait long for the answer to that question.

"Just so ya know, I'm definitely not sorry!"

Mukuro blinks. As far as greetings go, this isn't really what she expected. The four of them have been chatting ever since they walked out of class -- well, it was mostly the other three -- but this is the first time Asahina is speaking to her directly. "That's fine?" She offers.

"Aoi-chan, don't be rude!" Sayaka admonishes.

Asahina still has a sullen look on her face, but at least she looks a bit embarrassed now. "Ikusaba-chan was the one being rude," she protests. "I was just the only one who didn't let her get away with it!"

"If Maizono-san forgave Ikusaba-san already, shouldn't we do the same?" Naegi asks, appearing as though he is forcing himself to sound as inoffensive as possible, and Mukuro wonders who he means by 'we', considering he didn't give any indication that it upset him.

Asahina pouts, but can't give a retort. Mukuro doubts Asahina would become a big problem, but she's still glad she invited Naegi along. He's good at... saying things.

Mukuro holds out one of her energy bars. "Will you accept this peace offer?"

Asahina eyes it suspiciously, but takes it without much hesitation. "I can't say no when someone offers me food..." She says as if she is disappointed in herself. "You're off the hook. For now!"

"That's a different flavor than the one you gave me last week, right?" Sayaka asks, looking at Mukuro's not at all modest amount of energy bars with curiosity. "Can I have one?"

Mukuro hands her one too. Then she takes another one and offers it to Naegi, figuring he shouldn't be singled out as the only one not getting anything, but he declines politely. "Are you sure?" She asks. "You're small and weak. You could use the protein."

"Uh..." Naegi's face colors, and she supposes she just said something rude. Asahina snickers.

"Mukuro-san, that's mean! You should apologize to Naegi-kun." Sayaka tries to make herself look stern, but the visible way she is fighting down a smile kind of ruins it.

Still, even though she was trying to be considerate, she does owe him an apology for that. "I'm sorry, Naegi-kun," she says, not quite sure what else she can say. "You're... very nice too. So it all evens out."

"Thanks." Naegi mutters, ruffling around in his bag for his lunch and also probably to emulate the myth of an ostrich being in danger.

"Hey, Ikusaba-chan, what'd you to with your hands?" Asahina asks abruptly.

"That's a rude question, Aoi-chan. Mukuro-san doesn't have to answer it."

While Sayaka is right about that, it's not like Mukuro is the personification of tact herself, so she doesn't think she has a right to use that reason as an excuse. "I just injured myself during training. It's going to heal up this week." She explains. Asahina has been looking at her hands a lot today, so she's surprised that it has taken this long to get brought up.

"Okay, sorry for asking." Asahina mutters. She takes out a paper bag, reaches inside, then presses a doughnut into Mukuro's right hand. "Here! Now we're even. And this isn't even the smallest." She says that so proudly that Mukuro kind of feels like smiling.

"Thank you." She bites into the pastry, chewing it while Asahina stares at her, obviously waiting for the verdict. "It's good." She says, not sure why her opinion is so important. Maybe that girl just takes doughnuts very seriously.

Asahina looks satisfied with her answer. "I said it before and I'm saying it again, who doesn't like doughnuts? Hey, Naegi! Do you like doughnuts?!"

Naegi, who is currently in the process of drinking from his childish looking milk box, blinks and his eyes flash rapidly in alarm like he'll die if he doesn't answer it in less than ten seconds. He gulps the milk down. "Yeah!" He chokes out. "Doughnuts are great!"

"I like that enthusiasm!" Asahina cheers. "Here, you get a doughnut too!" She practically forces it on him.

"I guess Naegi-kun either likes doughnuts more than energy bars, or he likes Aoi-chan better than Mukuro-san." Sayaka says like she's thinking out loud, causing Mukuro's lips to curl up slightly. When she isn't at the receiving end of Sayaka's teasing, it seems like she is able to recognize it more easily.

Naegi's face turns red some more. "What? It's nothing like that..."

"I see. So Naegi-kun doesn't like me." Mukuro concludes, a bit elated at the prospect of someone who isn't her being teased for once.

"Naegi hates Ikusaba-chan?" Asahina asks, shocked, and something tells Mukuro it's not feigned.

Naegi sputters, his eyes jumping between the three girls. "No!"

"Does that mean you have a crush on me?!" Asahina yells like someone else would yell 'Does that mean you're here to murder me?!', looking as though she is ready to bolt.

"How did you even come to that conclusion?!" Naegi nearly yells himself.

"If you don't hate Ikusaba-chan, then that means you like me a lot more. Which means you might have a crush on me! It's only logical or something!"

"I... I don't think that's very logical..."

Sayaka bursts out laughing, startling both Asahina and Naegi. "Sorry guys," she says, giggling. "I was just kidding around."

"I was stringing you along too." Mukuro informs them, feeling an absurd sense of pride at being Sayaka's accomplice.

"Figures." Asahina sighs. "I'm just glad Naegi doesn't actually have a crush on me, so I can't even be mad."

"That's kind of harsh..." Naegi mumbles, giving Mukuro a look of betrayal. For her part, she at least tries to look apologetic.

"It's weird seeing Ikusaba-chan make a joke." Asahina comments. "Or going along with a joke. Whatever!"

"I've taught her well." Sayaka says with a proud smile, winking at Mukuro mischievously.

"Please don't turn her into a serial jokester too, Sayaka-chan. One of you is bad enough already!"

"No promises!"

They both laugh. Mukuro has to smile herself, and Naegi has one on his face as well despite his misfortune.

It's kind of reassuring to know that others are also on the receiving end of Sayaka's jokes or teasing a lot, since Asahina seems to be quite used to them.

Mukuro gives Asahina a look. The girl is a good friend of Sayaka's, so she should probably say something to her, make some casual conversation. Feeling just a tiny little shy, she asks: "Do you eat lunch up here sometimes, Asahina-san?"

Asahina is visibly surprised at the question, but it quickly disappears as she ponders it. "Nah, I don't think so. Usually I'm too hungry to wait long enough to go anywhere, so I eat in class."

"It's true," Sayaka supplies. "It probably took a lot of willpower for Aoi-chan not to eat anything until now."

Asahina nods with vigor. "Yeah, so you better be grateful!"

"I didn't invite you." Mukuro says, confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?! You'd rather I wasn't here?!" Asahina says rather loudly. Mukuro blinks. That's not what she was trying to say. Before she can reply though, Naegi comes to her aid.

"I'm sure that's not what Ikusaba-san meant!" He says that like he's trying to talk down a bloodthirsty hound.

Sayaka nods. "Mukuro-san tends to be a bit blunt," she tells Asahina. "She didn't mean it in a bad way. She likes you!"

"She does?" Asahina asks, looking at Mukuro suspiciously.

"Um..." Mukuro feels put on the spot, her cheeks warming. "I suppose...?"

"That's not convincing at all!" Asahina yells.

"What I meant to say is," Sayaka interjects, grinning. "She would like you if you two got to know each other more. So you should definitely do that!"

"Oh, so she wants to go swimming with me?" Asahina somehow concludes, then turns to Mukuro. "You want to race again?!"

"I will lose, but it might be interesting." Mukuro says, internally debating on whether it's appropriate to make a compliment. She decides to go for it. "You're very fast."

It's a pretty obvious fact, but Asahina looks flattered nonetheless. "I guess you're pretty fast too," she admits, and doesn't even sound that grudging about it. "But still not as fast as me. If you're swimming with me you're probably gonna get a bit faster though. I guess I'll be your teacher!"

It seems like this is Asahina's way of burying the hatchet, so Mukuro doesn't waste any time in agreeing. Well, she probably won't be able to swim this week because of her bandages, but after that she wouldn't mind. "That sounds good, Asahina-san. Thank you." She attempts a smile.

Asahina smiles back. "Geez," she sighs. "You're actually pretty cute! I can kinda see why Sayaka-chan likes you so much."

"Aoi-chan!" Sayaka swats her friend's shoulder playfully.

Mukuro feels some more warmth gathering across her face. "I like Sayaka-san a lot too." She says, feeling awkward and regretting it immediately.

"Who doesn't?" Sayaka boasts with a wink, and Mukuro appreciates her attempt to nip the awkwardness in the bud. "Do you like me, Naegi-kun?" She suddenly asks.

Naegi blinks. "Y-Yeah, of course!" He agrees enthusiastically. Mukuro is a bit impressed, if the question was directed at her she would probably sputter a lot more than this.

"Naegi likes everyone, even Togami. He doesn't count." Asahina dismisses.

Mukuro gives Naegi a bewildered look. "You like Togami-kun?" It's not like she hates that boy or anything, but she just can't see a reason why anyone would actually like him.

"He's not that bad!" Naegi defends.

"Do you want to steal his money? Can you let me in on the plan?!" Asahina asks eagerly.

"What! No!"

"How can you be so greedy?!"

"I said no to the stealing part! I'm not trying to steal his money!"

"Well, we don't know Togami-kun that well. He could be nicer once you get to know him." Sayaka suggests, and seeing as she has to do interviews and probably gets a lot of annoying questions directed at her, Mukuro supposes it makes sense that she's being diplomatic.

Naegi nods with a smile, but Asahina doesn't look convinced. And neither is Mukuro, really.

"Since we brought Togami up, does that mean it's time to gossip about the rest of the class now?" Asahina asks, obviously excited at the prospect.

Mukuro blinks. "Weren't you the one who brought him up?"

"And isn't it kind of rude to gossip...?" Naegi asks, scratching his cheek, but doesn't seem to be that opposed to it for some reason.

"Naegi-kun has a point." Sayaka says.

"But we gossip all the time about everyone, Sayaka-chan!" Asahina protests, causing Sayaka's cheeks to color.

"It's not the same thing!"

Sayaka looks embarrassed, so Mukuro decides to help her out. "Junko-chan likes to gossip a lot too." She tries to mention it casually, but the thought of Sayaka gossipping about her to Asahina kind of makes her feel excited and it's hard to keep that out of her voice.

It's probably weird to be excited at that.

"Junko-chan always has awesome gossip." Asahina agrees, almost dreamily.

"I guess Enoshima-san does seem like that kind of person." Naegi muses out loud, then immediately looks sheepish. "Uh... I don't mean that in a bad way or anything." He tells to Mukuro, appearing to be afraid of her taking offense. She doesn't consider gossip a negative thing, so she hasn't taken offense to begin with.

"Could it be that you actually like gossip, Naegi-kun?" Sayaka teases, shooting Mukuro a grateful look.

"That's not really it." Naegi denies in a weak voice. "It's just that I like finding things out about my classmates..."

"You shouldn't put that much stock into gossip though." Mukuro says in an attempt to be helpful.

"Yeah!" It's surprisingly Asahina who agrees. "There was a rumor for a while that Ikusaba-chan was a robot, but robots don't need bandages." She points to Mukuro's bandages. "That's the proof!" She says that like she's a detective who just managed to solve an exceptionally hard case.

"There was a rumor like that?" Mukuro asks, looking at the other three with a feeling of puzzlement. Naegi nods, smiling nervously, and Sayaka looks annoyed.

"Trying to convince Aoi-chan that you weren't a robot was something I don't want to experience ever again." Sayaka says, her tone unusually flat.

"I never really believed that!" Asahina defends herself. "I just said it's practically possible."

Mukuro glances at her. "Don't you mean theoretically?"

"Right, yeah! That!"

Sayaka sighs. "The rumor was both mean and stupid. Let's not bring it up again." The words sound like a suggestion, but her tone makes it obvious that it isn't.

Mukuro doesn't really care about the rumor, but she is happy that Sayaka does. "Thank you." She mumbles.

"Yeah, Ikusaba-chan isn't a robot," Asahina says. "But she's still pretty cool. Just not as cool as a robot."

Mukuro supposes it's meant to be a compliment, but the swimmer's train of thought still confuses her.

"Ikusaba-san is pretty cool." Naegi agrees, smiling.

"Yeah! Mukuro-san is really cool!" Sayaka cheers.

"You're cooler." Mukuro mutters, feeling incredibly embarrassed at the attention she is receiving.

"Are you talking to me or Naegi-kun?" Sayaka asks teasingly.

"She's talking about you, Sayaka-chan." Asahina says like it's obvious. "Naegi isn't cool, so why would she be talking to him?"

"Hey..." Naegi makes a weak noise of protest.

To her credit, Asahina at least looks embarrassed at herself. "Sorry!"

"Naegi-kun is cool." Mukuro says, feeling the need to pay the boy back for going along with Sayaka's teasing of him earlier.

Sayaka grins. "He's pretty cool! Guess that's two against one, Aoi-chan."

Asahina pouts. "If you two say so, then I guess he is."

"I don't think I'm cool, but thanks." Naegi says, blushing.

Mukuro agrees with him, but the concept of cool seems to be pretty vague so he might fit in some way. She doesn't really care though, since she likes him for being nice, not for being cool.

The lunch break continues in a similiar manner. She can't remember if she has ever taken part in something so light-hearted before, but the answer would probably be negative.

By the end of it, she's coming to the startling realization that she is actually becoming fond of Asahina. There's something about her tactless, exciteable behavior that is charming. Mukuro can be rather tactless herself, so maybe that's why.

"I think Aoi-chan likes you." Sayaka says to her in a quiet voice when they're going back to class, giving her a happy smile.

Mukuro considers it. It would be nice if one of Sayaka's best friends liked her, and Asahina at least seemed to stop being hostile towards her for now, but it's not obvious if that translates into 'liking' Mukuro. Well, if Sayaka says so then she will choose to believe her friend.

That lunch could have gone a lot worse, all things considered. Eating lunch alone with Sayaka is great, but spending it with Asahina and Naegi as well wasn't so bad.

It was kind of the opposite of bad, really.

Mukuro returns Sayaka's smile.

 

-

 

"I've brought two different kinds of juice today, to make up for Friday! Here's hoping you like one of them." Sayaka says as soon as Mukuro closes the room's door behind her.

Mukuro glances at the two cans Sayaka is holding out to her, then takes both. "If not, please don't drink them so fast."

"Geez, fine. I can't believe you're this squeamish." Sayaka says, huffing.

"It's more so you don't choke on it."

"That only happened one time and- wait! You weren't even there for it!"

Smiling at her friend's antics, Mukuro sits down and opens the first can. She takes a sip.

"Is it blowing you away?" Sayaka wants to know.

"It's alright."

Disappointment flashes across Sayaka's face. "Just alright? Aw..."

Mukuro gives her a flat look. "It's apple juice, Sayaka-san. It was never really going to... 'blow me away'."

"It's very good apple juice." Sayaka sulks. "Anyway, try the other one!"

Mukuro would rather finish the apple juice first, but doing as she is told doesn't bother her. She cracks open the other can and drinks from it. "This is alright too," she says. "But worse than the other one."

Sayaka pouts. "Aw, but I love grapefruit."

"We don't really have to like the exact same things..."

"I guess you're right. If you didn't like my songs though, I'd have to ask you to leave. Just kidding!"

"I realized it was a joke this time." Mukuro says, feeling a bit proud of herself, and also thinking that she should stop being so proud of such mundane things.

Sayaka gets a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, I see. Does that mean we can get into the advanced joking stage now?"

"Let's not, please." Mukuro isn't sure if Sayaka is joking about having an advanced stage, but she doesn't feel like finding out.

"Suit yourself!" Sayaka shrugs, then alternates between taking sips from can #01 and can #02.

"You're being strange again." Mukuro says, her sentence coming out dry even though it was meant as teasing. Sayaka grins in response though, so it couldn't have been that rude.

"I prefer to think of it as cute and quirky." Sayaka says in response. She flutters her eyelashes at Mukuro. "Don't you think so too?"

"I suppose." Mukuro mumbles, avoiding eye contact. She should really try to get used to being teased.

"So I'm cute?"

"I suppose..."

"I'm the cutest girl you've ever met?"

"I... suppose..."

"Really?" Sayaka has a smug look on her face. "I'll tell Junko-chan you said that!"

Mukuro attempts another smile, but it probably looks like she's just eaten something sour. "Please don't."

Sayaka sighs. "Alright, fine. But only if you promise not to tell her that I think you're cuter than her too."

Mukuro feels an odd mix between indignation and happiness at hearing that. "You don't mean that." She mumbles.

"I do." Sayaka asserts. "Maybe it's just my personal bias of finding freckles adorable, but I mean it."

Mukuro is conflicted. She dislikes her freckles -- they feel unfitting considering her status as the Ultimate Soldier -- but she likes that Sayaka likes them. "Thank you," she says, deciding to give a compliment in return. "I like your hair. It's, um... shiny."

Sayaka smiles, flipping her hair dramatically. "It's all in the right conditioner." She winks at Mukuro like they're both part of an inside joke. Hasn't she heard that sentence before though?

"Junko-chan says that a lot." Mukuro recalls.

"Yeah! It's kind of like a running gag between us." Sayaka giggles. "I mean, she's right though. Conditioner is important."

Junko had encouraged her to use a conditioner on the day they entered this school, and Mukuro hasn't really noticed any difference in her hair, but she's probably just washing it in the wrong way somehow. "Junko-chan's hair is always perfect," she says. "That's only one reason as to why she's definitely cuter than me." It's a pointless argument to have, but she can't just let the insult to her sister go without saying anything, even if it's a thoroughly unintentional insult.

Sayaka looks as though she's expected this response though. "Geez, just let me give you a compliment." She kind of whines that sentence. "I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree!"

"Junko-chan is the Ultimate Fashionista, so it's obvious that she would be cuter than me."

"Cuteness is made up of a lot of things! Besides, you just said I'm the cutest girl you've ever met, and I'm not the Ultimate Fashionista!"

"You're the Ultimate Idol though. Being cute is basically in the job description..." Mukuro isn't sure how serious either of them are being right now, but she knows for a fact that saying different variations of the word 'cute' so often is making her feel kind of ridiculous.

Besides, she is the Ultimate Soldier. She is definitely not... _cute_. If anyone else said that to her, she would take it as an insult, but with Sayaka it's impossible to think of it as that.

"Aoi-chan called you cute too," Sayaka says as if she's reading Mukuro's mind. "So it's not just me."

Mukuro supposes Asahina did say that, and... she doesn't really have it in her to think of it as an insult from the swimmer either. "Well. then you're both wrong." She mutters. "I'm not cute."

"Okay, okay, sorry." Sayaka laughs, taking mercy on her at last. "I'm sorry for teasing you so much. You just make it easy."

Well, being teased by Sayaka isn't all bad. Sure, it's embarrassing, but it also sparks a lot of other weird emotions in her that don't all feel unpleasant. "It's fine," she says. "I'm just not used to getting so many compliments. It feels strange, like you're lying to me even though I know you aren't."

Despite how awkward and oversharing the sentence sounds to her as soon as she says it, Sayaka gives her a look of sympathy instead of being weirded out. "I'm glad you realize I'm not lying, 'cause I'm not!" She tilts her head a bit. "Y'know, Mukuro-san... do you wanna take a walk? It's nice outside and we don't always have to stay in my room."

"That sounds good." Mukuro agrees. "Should I go change?"

Sayaka giggles. "You don't have to dress up for me, Mukuro-san. We can go in our uniforms."

"Oh." Mukuro feels her ears burning. Stupid. "Right."

When they're approaching the gate though, it becomes clear that Sayaka didn't mean just taking a walk through the central plaza. Not that it bothers Mukuro. Sayaka cheerfully greets the security staff member at the gate, only getting a noncommittal grunt in response, and they walk past into the city.

"How rude." Sayaka says after they've gone through the gate, but doesn't really seem bothered. "I guess sooner or later you get sick of greeting the same students every day." She reasons.

Mukuro doesn't care about being greeted by people she doesn't even know, so she says something else. "That man was the Ultimate Boxer. He used to be a student here."

"Wow, really?" Sayaka looks back behind them. "I guess he looks pretty tough, so I can believe that." She turns her eyes back to Mukuro. "How'd you know that?"

"Junko-chan looked up a lot of things about this school." Mukuro says. Sooner or later she expects she will spy on the Ultimate Boxer. She's already done that with several others, and isn't sure why Junko has skipped the head of security in favor of less important personnel so far.

"That's kinda cool. Hmm..." Sayaka looks conflicted for a bit, but appears to get over it quickly. "Is it true that the headmaster is related to Kirigiri-san? I heard people say that, and I mean, they have the same last name, but it could be a coincidence."

"He is Kirigiri-san's father." Mukuro confirms.

"Y'know, I kinda thought he was." Sayaka suddenly looks ashamed of herself. "Geez, it's rude to talk about her personal stuff like that, isn't it?"

"I suppose." Mukuro doesn't feel they're being particularly rude, but then again she isn't exactly an expert when it comes to that sort of thing.

"It's gotta suck to go to a school where your dad is principal though. If my own dad was here, I'd probably leave." Sayaka muses, laughing a bit, but it sounds strange. Almost strained. When she continues, her voice sounds normal again. "If I ever get enough nerve to invite her to my room, I'll let her complain to me all day long."

Mukuro glances at her. "If you asked me, you should be able to ask her too."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? But she's intimidating in a different way than you." Sayaka hums thoughtfully. "Still, Naegi-kun talks to her sometimes. If he can do it, so can I. Right?"

Mukuro nods. "Kirigiri-san seems like someone who is nice once you get to know her." She feels she has to say something positive about the girl, considering she owes her for recommending Tsumiki and... Komaeda.

"It's kinda weird, I know everyone's Ultimate Talents in our class, but I've only heard rumors about hers. The Ultimate Detective, right?"

"Yes." Junko had become immediately interested as soon as it was obvious that Kirigiri's Ultimate Talent wasn't public knowledge. It wasn't terribly hard to gain the knowledge, but it wasn't easy either. Mukuro doesn't have to wonder how Sayaka heard about the rumor -- Junko has been spreading it since the start of school.

"That's so cool." Sayaka swoons, and Mukuro, much to her horror, feels an absurd feeling of jealousy at it. She represses it immediately, feeling stupid. Being enarmored with someone is one thing, but being irrationally jealous like this is beneath her. She is forced out of her thoughts when she hears Sayaka giggling. "Geez, now I'm even more intimidated," she says. "What if she psychoanalyzes me or something? I have secrets, y'know!"

"I'm sure she wouldn't do that." Feeling bad for her ridiculous feelings, Mukuro tries to be encouraging some more. "Kirigiri-san has actually done me a favor. I don't want to give details, but she helped me a lot. You should talk to her."

Sayaka grins. "Aw, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you want to get rid of me!"

Mukuro tries to grin too, but it's probably just an awkward smile. "I don't think you would be able to tease her as much as me though."

"She does give that impression," Sayaka concedes. "But then I didn't think I could fluster you that much either, and look where we are now!"

Mukuro can feel her face turning red at the boasting. "That's not the same thing." She mutters weakly. "Anyway, doesn't this count as gossip? We should probably stop."

"You just wanna stop, 'cause you're embarrassed!"

"I'm not denying that..."

"Alriiiight." Sayaka both sighs and rolls her eyes in an overdramatic fashion. "Come on, let's go window shopping."

Mukuro isn't sure what the appeal in staring at clothes though glass windows is -- wouldn't Sayaka like to try them on instead of just looking at them? Well, she won't complain. She's just happy seeing Sayaka enjoy herself.

Soon though, her friend notices the lack of interest and frowns. "Don't you like anything, Mukuro-san?" Sayaka asks.

Sayaka doesn't exactly look... angry. Or even annoyed, but there's obviously something that bothers the girl. Feeling a bit nervous, Mukuro answers the question. "It's just that I generally only look at clothes when I want to buy them."

"Do you like shopping in general though?"

"I don't hate it."

Sayaka is undeterred, even stops walking. "Do you _like_ it?"

"Well..." Mukuro stops as well. She can't lie to her. "No, not really. But," she quickly adds. "I like spending time with Junko-chan and you, so it doesn't bother me at all."

For some reason, Sayaka looks sad at this. "But we should do something that _you_ enjoy too." She insists.

"I wouldn't want to be a bother," Mukuro says. "And Junko-chan is looking forward to it."

Sayaka has an answer for that too though. "I'm sure Junko-chan would think the same as me, Mukuro-san."

"Can we please change the subject?" Mukuro asks, her voice barely above a mumble.

"Look," Sayaka says in a strained tone. She takes out her phone from her handbag. "I'm gonna call Junko-chan right now and we'll come up with another thing, alright? It's not an inconvenience at all. It'll only take a minute or so."

Mukuro's eyes lock onto the phone, a slight feeling of panic rising inside of her. "Sayaka-san, that's not necessary. Please don't call Junko-chan." She tries to smile, hoping it doesn't look like a grimace. "Let's... just talk about it tomorrow. I'm not in the mood for this conversation right now. I'm really sorry."

To her immense relief, Sayaka puts the phone back into her handbag. "Okay," she says, sounding rather sheepish. "Sorry for being so pushy. I'm just worried, y'know? You don't really like talking about yourself, so I don't know a lot about your likes and dislikes. I want you to enjoy yourself too when we go out."

"I'm kind of boring, so I don't have any hobbies." Mukuro admits, feeling embarrassed at this fact for the first time in her life. "I can't really think of any activity I like doing either."

"But," Sayaka looks at her with a mix of confusion and, for some reason, horror. "You had fun on Saturday, right? I didn't just imagine that, right?"

"I had a lot of fun." Mukuro affirms. "But it wasn't because I particularly like cake or looking at flowers. It was because I got to spend time with you, Sayaka-san." She only realizes how ridiculously saccharine the sentence sounds after she's said it, and she immediately feels her entire face burning up.

Sayaka's face has gained some color too. "That's really sweet of you, Mukuro-san," she murmurs. "But I don't want you to do things just because of me. You should do things because you enjoy doing them too."

Mukuro thinks the two of them might be talking past each other. "Both the cake and the flowers were nice," she argues. "It's like I said, I can't think of any activities I really enjoy doing by myself. I'm enjoying myself as long as I'm doing them together with Junko-chan or..." She hesitates for a bit. "Or my friends."

"There has to be something you like doing by yourself." Sayaka insists.

"Well," Mukuro considers it. "It's related to my talent though, so..." She trails off, feeling awkward.

Sayaka nods. "That settles it! Let's go window shopping for- wait... guns aren't legal in Japan." She mutters.

To say Mukuro is surprised at the casual mention of weapons by Sayaka would be an understatement. "I like knives better." She hears herself say in an oddly shy tone.

Sayaka's eyes are full of determination. "Then let's-"

"Knives aren't legal either." Mukuro interrupts. "Well, kitchen knives aren't illegal." They're not very good for stabbing people though. Well, they will do an adequate enough job if one knows what to do.

Sayaka hesitates. "Do you... want to go look at kitchen knives?"

"Not really." Mukuro answers flatly. She's suddenly aware of how ridiculous this entire conversation is, and lets out a short laugh. "Thank you for trying though."

"So much for only once every seven years!" Sayaka says, and the notion that someone can look so delighted upon seeing her laugh makes it tempting to do it more. She won't though, because it's embarrassing. They both resume their walk. There is a short pause, before Sayaka speaks again. "So... I guess knives are pretty cool." She offers.

Although she isn't sure if Sayaka really means that, Mukuro smiles fondly, unable to prevent herself in being swept up in her memories a little. "They are. I even had a collection once." She blinks, feeling the need to explain that. "Um, knives aren't illegal in the nation where I was training to be a soldier." Not technically anyway, but considering her age back then...

"They should make exceptions for the Ultimate Soldier." Sayaka says. "You should be able to have all the knives you want! I'd like to see them!"

"Isn't that kind of strange though...?" Mukuro questions. She really can't imagine the idol taking a liking to knives, but she supposes stranger things have happened.

Sayaka nods. "Oh, yes, absolutely! It's really weird, but if you like that kind of thing then I definitely want to see your entire knife collection. Who knows? Maybe you'll even turn me into a fan!"

Mukuro feels absurdly flattered by this. "I, um... I can do cool tricks with them too." She mumbles.

"I'd love to see that! You're probably even better than all those guys on TV!"

"Yes, I am." Mukuro says. It's not a boast, just the simple truth.

"I guess you're the coolest again," Sayaka chirps. "Kirigiri-san can't compete after all."

Mukuro smiles at that, feeling a childish sort of satisfaction.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you keep in shape? With the whole shooting stuff, I mean." Sayaka smiles, but it looks strangely sardonic. "They don't let you go to a real army base and shoot there, do they?"

Though Sayaka is obviously reluctant and forcing herself a bit, Mukuro appreciates the gesture nonetheless. There aren't many people who would be willing to talk this casually about what basically boils down to killing.

"They don't," she answers. "But they've built some training courses that they send me through with airsoft guns." She can't keep the derision out of her voice when saying those last two words. They're very high quality, and she supposes they fulfill their purpose, but in the end an airsoft gun is just a ridiculous toy. She prefers the illegal shooting ranges she visits sometimes. Shooting real guns is just vastly different, it can't be copied that easily. The ranges also supply knives, so that's another reason why she likes them more.

"Do you think I can come watch you go through one of those courses?" Sayaka asks. "It'd be awesome to see, I think."

"Yes!" Mukuro agrees, then realizes she is sounding way too enthusiastic. "If you want to." She adds lamely.

Sayaka giggles. "I do."

"It would be more impressive if I could fire real guns." Mukuro says, sounding dangerously close to sulking. She can't help it, she just wants Sayaka to see her at her best. Even Junko is impressed by her skills, though her sister tends to not make it very obvious.

"I'm sure it'll be impressive either way!" Sayaka assures.

Mukuro hopes so. "Maybe I could come listen to you sing in that studio as well?" She suggests.

Sayaka seems to find that idea funny for some reason. "Are you sure? 'Cause the girls would like to meet you in that case."

"They're your friends, so I wouldn't mind meeting them too." It's mostly true. The thought of meeting four of Sayaka's friends at once is kind of intimidating, but surely it can't be that bad?

"I'll tell them." Sayaka says, and Mukuro is glad that she seems to be happy at the thought of them all meeting. "Anyway, I'm all walked out. Come on, let's go back home!"

"Okay." Not for the first time Mukuro finds that to be an odd way to refer to school, but asking about it seems kind of silly.

They both walk back to school to continue their chat in Sayaka's room.

On their way back, Mukuro glances at the head of security, and feels sick for a reason she doesn't understand.

No, she understands it, but she wishes she didn't.

She pushes it out of her mind and turns away to look at her first friend instead.

 

-

 

It's only some time after saying goodbye to Sayaka that Mukuro feels their conversation turned quite... bizarre during that walk. In a lot of ways. She doesn't want to complain about Sayaka taking an interest in her talent, but it definitely feels odd.

To be sure, the thought of Sayaka watching her go through one of the training courses is incredibly exciting, but what if she finds her intimidating instead of impressive? She doesn't actually think this would be the case, but she can't ignore the possibility either.

A part of her feels bad for not assuring Sayaka she doesn't have to pretend to be interested in her talent, but the part that wants her friend to be in awe is stronger.

"Um, Ikusaba-san?"

The voice makes Mukuro blink. Sayaka may still be on her mind, but she shouldn't be spacing out. "Excuse me, Tsumiki-san. Did you say something?"

"J-Just that the injury is healing nicely. You can probably take the bandages off by Thursday." The nurse replies. She gently wraps the fresh bandages around Mukuro's hands and fastens them.

"That's good to know." Mukuro figures she should express some more gratitude -- the other girl sure doesn't seem to get tired of hearing it. "Thank you, Tsumiki-san. If you ever need a favor, just tell me." Quickly realizing her mistake, she corrects herself. "Two favors, actually. One for this, and one for that conversation we had before."

"It's- it's alright." Tsumiki has a small smile on her face. "Because of our conversation, Komaeda-san and I... we actually became friends." She says the word with an odd sense of reverence. "And it's only be-because of you. I've never had a friend before..." Her eyes widen a little. "Oh, that's a really embarrassing thing to say... I'm- I'm sorry..."

Once again, Mukuro is surprised at the amount of sympathy she feels for Tsumiki Mikan. "It's fine," she says. "I'm glad it helped you. I owe Komaeda-san a favor too though, so could you please tell him?" She adds that part rather grudgingly.

Tsumiki nods. "I-I will... but I'm sure he won't use it."

"He probably won't." Mukuro agrees, thinking back to how the boy seemed to worship the Ultimates. She still needs to offer, however.

Tsumiki fidgets uncomfortably. "Komaeda-san is a bit odd, but he... he is really nice once you get to know him. I'm... I'm glad I got to be his friend." She says that rather forcefully, and Mukuro supposes she was sounding a bit disapproving of him just now.

"I'm sorry if I offended you. I'm not fond of Komaeda-san because of something personal. It's not his fault." Mukuro can at least admit this much.

"No... it- it's alright!" Tsumiki twiddles her thumbs. "I'm sorry for being r-rude..."

Mukuro would like to see her actually being rude. Maybe 'like' isn't the right word, but it'd be interesting. There is an awkward silence, so she decides to share something similiar. "I've also only recently made some friends, so there's no need to feel strange about it." She attempts a smile, mostly because Tsumiki looks kind of miserable. "Having friends is nice, isn't it?"

Albeit hesitantly, Tsumiki smiles back. "Y-Yes! It is... I would like to have a girl friend too though." Her face immediately turns crimson. "A friend who is a girl! N-Not a girlfriend... who you date..." She squeaks. "I do want a girlfriend though! I just... um..."

"I know what you mean." Mukuro interrupts her out of pity. Then she gets an idea. "I could be your girl friend if you want. We already know each other and we've spent some time together, so it makes sense."

Tsumiki stares at her, and Mukuro feels like an idiot. Is she being too forward?

"If you don't want to that's fine-"

"No!" Tsumiki blurts out. "I mean- yes! I do want to be girl friends! Thank you so much, Ikusaba-san!"

The way Tsumiki says that like Mukuro is doing her a favor makes her feel a bit bad, because it's true to an extent, but is it really that much of a favor? She does like Tsumiki, so it shouldn't really be considered as such.

There is another uncomfortable silence between them. Mukuro decides to be the one to break it again. "There's no need to thank me, Tsumiki-san. You're caring, responsible, and helped me out a lot without wanting anything in return. Why wouldn't I be your girl friend?" She asks that question partly to herself as well.

"Ehehe... I'm not that great..." Tsumiki denies while obviously being delighted, but then suddenly her entire body seems to freeze. "Um..."

"Is something wrong?" Mukuro asks.

"Um..." Tsumiki gives her a look of horror. "Ikusaba-san... you- you were talking about just friends, right? N-Not girl friend as in... as- as in..."

"No!" Mukuro comes close to yelling. "No, I meant just normal friends!"

"Oh... oh thank goodness!" Tsumiki giggles nervously, but then gets a look of horror on her face again. "Wait, n-not that I wouldn't want to d-date you or anything! I just- just meant..."

"It's fine."

"You're a g-great girl! I just-"

"It's fine!" Mukuro says more forcefully, feeling the familiar sting of a headache behind her forehead. "I already have someone I like, remember?"

"W-Well, for a second I thought you were talking about- about m-me..."

Mukuro gives her a look filled to the brim with bewilderment. "But we've never spoken before our first conversation."

"I thought it may have been l-love at first sight..." Tsumiki slaps her hands in front of her mouth. "Th-That's such a terrible a-and arrogant thing to say... p-please forgive me!"

Not for the first time in her life, Mukuro curses the fact that it isn't socially acceptable just to turn around and walk away from a conversation. "It's fine, Tsumiki-san," she repeats for what feels like the millionth time. "Let's just forget about this entire thing and pretend it didn't happen, alright?"

Tsumiki looks like she's been slapped. "I-I guess I understand that y-you wouldn't want to be my friend after this..."

"Not that part! I meant the entire girlfriend thing. As in, girlfriend. The two words together. The person you date." Mukuro feels like she has to make absolutely clear what she is talking about, lest she gets an aneurysm.

"Ah! I see!" Tsumiki squeaks. "I'm so embarrassed, b-but also really happy!"

"I'm happy too." Mukuro somewhat forces herself to say it upon seeing Tsumiki's sheer delight, feeling bad for being so annoyed with her, but she is feeling kind of... well, she wouldn't call it happiness. It's a positive emotion though. Still, she wants to steer the conversation into a different direction. "Do you want to exchange phone numbers?" She asks.

"Y-Yes! Of course!" Tsumiki agrees eagerly, fumbling around inside her blazer's pocket.

They quickly exchange numbers, although Mukuro has a bit of trouble with the other girl's slightly outdated phone.

"I never thought I-I would have four people's phone numbers saved at once."

Tsumiki sounds so happy at this that it's cute. Mukuro feels like smiling, but it seems kind of embarrassing to do. "I only have three." She mentions. If she ever gets Asahina's and Naegi's though, she'll have five.

Tsumiki giggles. "It's not a c-contest, Ikusaba-san."

"I suppose." Mukuro smiles. Apparently she's given up on not being embarrassing. Still, she's feeling a remarkable amount of mental exhaustion by now. "I need to do my homework, and I'm sure you have better things to do as well, Tsumiki-san. I should leave."

"I w-wouldn't want to keep you!" Tsumiki says, but looks sad in a way Mukuro finds hard looking at. That's probably why she feels she has to say this next thing.

"I'm not much of a conversationalist, but I mi- _will_ text you. Is that alright, Tsumiki-san?"

"Yes!" Tsumiki nods her head so vigorously that it's a wonder her head isn't spinning afterwards. "Thank you s-so much, Ikusaba-san!"

"It's fine. Well, see you later."

"B-Bye!"

Mukuro feels bad for leaving, but she has to sooner or later. Tsumiki is nice, and she does want to be her friend, but she's been exhausted ever since talking to Sayaka earlier.

She writes a message while walking back to her dorm room. She can't think of much to say, but hopes something generic is enough to get her point from just now across.

 **Mukuro:** I'm sorry, I forgot to say this, but I hope you have a nice afternoon, Tsumiki-san.

 **Tsumiki-san:** I hope you have a g-great afternoon too, Ikusaba-san! Th-Thank you!"

Mukuro frowns. Why is Tsumiki stuttering over text? Well, not important.

She writes a message to someone else, sending it with a, for her standards, wide smile on her face.

 **Mukuro:** I made another friend, Sayaka-san. Do I still count as an introvert?

Three replies come back in rapid succession.

 **Sayaka-chan:** omg!!! who is it??? please dont tell me its togami-kun

 **Sayaka-chan:** also yes  >:3c

 **Sayaka-chan:** also im sorry, that was rude! i still hope it isnt togami-kun though

 **Mukuro:** It's Tsumiki Mikan-san from the upper class. She's the Ultimate Nurse and has been treating my injuries. She's very nice. I'm sure you would like her.

 **Sayaka-chan:** wow look at us meeting new people all the time! i would love to meet whoever is taking care of my mukuro-san. i heard she gets cranky when she doesnt get a lollypop though :)

 **Mukuro:** Please try not to tease her too much. She would get a heart attack. And I'm not even joking.

 **Sayaka-chan:** :D

 **Mukuro:** I mean it.

 **Sayaka-chan:** >:D

 **Mukuro:** If you tease her too much, I'm going to order the same cake at that shop for the rest of my life.

 **Sayaka-chan:** D: alright geez. i was just kidding!!! im gonna be gentle with her if we ever meet, i promise

 **Mukuro:** Thank you.

Done with that conversation, Mukuro finally opens the door to her room, closing it behind her with a kick.

She takes off her shoes and her blazer, then lays down on her bed.

Today has been exhausting, but also productive. She still needs to do her homework and go shower though.

With an annoyed sigh, Mukuro gets out of bed and into her bathroom.

 

-

 

Mukuro tries not to rush either the shower or the homework, but it's difficult to concentrate on it when so many other things are on her mind. When she's finally done though, it feels liberating.

Already wearing her nightwear -- she's feeling self-indulgent today -- she lays down on her bed again. She gives Sayaka's purple walkman a look, but decides to listen to music a bit later.

It's been a week. A week since she's met Sayaka. Since then, she's realized she is capable of having a crush on a girl, that she is a lesbian, and has gained a total of four friends. Does Asahina count already? She tentatively decides that... yes, she does. She's also owing favors to Kirigiri, Komaeda, and Oogami. To Naegi and Tsumiki as well, but they rejected that. She would still do them a favor if they asked for one though. It's kind of shameful to need so much help, but she can't argue with the results.

Mukuro is hardly able to believe so much can happen in just a week.

She never thought she would just casually spend time with friends in this school. Especially not with a pretty pop idol who really enjoys flirting with her for some reason. Eating cake together, looking at flowers, drinking juice with each other... it all seems so boring and mundane in theory.

Then why is it making her so happy?

Isn't all of this... making her weaker?

If this is what feeling weak is like though, she might be alright with it...

Mukuro sighs, shaking her head.

She supposes a negative thing about having so many friends is remembering what they all like and dislike. Asahina seems important in particular, seeing as she tends to get very easily riled up. Well, this is a challenge she doesn't mind much. Remembering Sayaka's likes and dislikes wasn't very hard, so how hard could her other three friends be?

What activities should she do with them though? Sayaka is easy; they just do whatever Sayaka says they should be doing, and Asahina likes swimming. What about Naegi and Tsumiki though? She supposes going to a cake shop seems like a safe bet. That's normal, isn't it? And it's the only activity she's done already, so she wouldn't feel out of her depth.

Mukuro frowns. Having friends requires planning, it seems.

It's worth it though, isn't it?

She keeps planning and wondering late into the night, spending some time listening to Sayaka's songs as well, and at one point realizes it's already 1am. Time flies when one has fun, or so the saying goes.

It's kind of ridiculous to have so much fun planning potential activities with her friends. She should be ashamed of herself, to be honest. It's hard to think like that though when it makes her... happy.

Is this what having friends feels like?

It's nice.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this is the most light-hearted chapter I've written so far. And by complete coincidence, Junko didn't show up for it! 
> 
> A part of me feels like it's filler, but I don't want to rush anything. Besides, Mukuro having human emotions and etc. isn't exactly unimportant. And hey, it was fun writing it. And didn't make me feel depressed for once!


End file.
